IV PLANTING 59 
be ripe, firm, and hard, a fat red fleshy shoot being 
of no use, as it will certainly have to come off when 
the plant is pruned. There should be a good union 
between stock and scion, no failure visible in the 
joining, and no round knob formed by the Rose at 
the point of union; but it should be evident that 
the stock has swelled and grown in proportion to 
the growth of the Rose. 
The roots should be pruned as soon as the Roses 
are unpacked, in the first place removing with a 
sharp knife any bruised or injured portions, and 
seeing that the ends of all the roots are clean cut; 
secondly, shortening all of extra length, especially 
those which are fibreless, or stiff ones which go 
straight down; and thirdly, looking for suckers, 
which should be cut clean out—an easy way of 
distinguishing a sucker from a root being that the 
former gets thicker and the latter smaller the 
further it gets from the stem. The underground 
stem or main root should also be strictly examined 
for buds even in the most embryo stage. These 
should be carefully cut out, or they will certainly 
sooner or later form suckers. 
The art of packing Roses is well understood by 
the best nurserymen, and some damp material is 
generally placed in the package around the roots. It 
may occasionally happen, however, owing to the 
parcel being delayed on the railway, that the roots 
have got dry or even the bark of the Roses become 
shrivelled. In such a case, if matters have not gone 
too far, the following method of recovery may be 
recommended. Lay the Roses flat in the ground 
and bury them completely, roots and tops, six 
inches deep; give the spot where they are buried 
